If You Go Down To The Woods Today….

Autumn is so so pretty isn’t it?
The leaves gradually turning from a deep green, to caramel, to a chocolatey brown, and finally collecting in a colourful, seasonal pile at your feet.

When I was little, in the October half term form school, my parents used to take me and my younger sisters to Westonbirt Arboretum to look at the beautiful colours appearing on the trees.
Westonbirt has such a huge collection of acer trees that turn the most gorgeous shade of red/orange at this time of year – it’s absolutely stunning.

I was thinking about it recently and realised that the last time I went must have been before I did my A Levels, so over 10 years ago! I waited until the right kind of time (though actually I think they could do with another week to be the completely picture-perfect colours!) and headed down with my dad yesterday to see it all again and, as always, I had forgotten quite how beautiful it is. How can leaves go so red?!

Just wandering around with a hot takeaway-cup of tea in my hands, scarf wrapped tightly around my neck and the wind blowing through my hair, it really felt so autumnal – the beautiful colours and all the half-term families buzzing around.
(including one particularly cute kid who was going from tree to tree picking up piles of leaves to throw over herself while her dad took photos – cue me giving myself a little pep talk that I can barely look after myself let alone think about having cute-leaf-throwing-children just yet – tooooo cute!)

I just love spending time outdoors at this time of year – to really take it all in before it gets too cold and wet – the sun was shining, the breeze was blowing the first chocolatey leaves from the tops of the bigger trees and it just felt very calm and relaxed.

So, I challenge you to get outside this week. Go to a park. Go to anything green. Enjoy autumn, before it all turns to winter (but typical rubbishy British winter which is basically just a wetter, less colourful version of British autumn……lets be honest, the 36 days of snow forecast between now and christmas just aint gonna happen, is it?!?!?)
Get outside and enjoy it. It’s beautiful.